No kidding! I had no idea. He was my grandmother's hero. She wanted a boy baby so much that she kept looking at Saigo's picture when she was pregnant. My grandmother laughed later and said maybe that's why my aunt was born with such fierce eyes.

I've been picking up quite bit about Saigo Takamori after watching all the historical dramas (Ryoma, Atsuhime, etc.).

I'm just watching the news coverage of the devastating earthquake and tsuanmi. I don't know if you can read this or where you are located in relation to the quake but I pray for your safety and that of all your countrymen. Blessings.